The Connecticut State University Research foundation was established by the Connecticut General Assembly under Public Act 79-202 for the purpose of facilitating and promoting research activities among the four institutions that comprise the CSU system.

The Research Foundation operates on each CSU campus under the direction of the campus President in accordance with the regulations of the Foundation and all other relevant general University and State regulations.

Each campus has a Research Foundation Advisory Council, which, at Western, is the Research and Development Committee. The function of the Advisory Council is to advise the campus President on the operation of the Foundation, as well as the conduct of research and public service activities on each campus.

Scholarly Activity: Research, Scholarship, and Creative Endeavor

Definition of Faculty Scholarship

Although a university may be committed to the idea of being a “teaching institution,” that concept cannot be fulfilled apart from a similar commitment to scholarly activity. Scholarly activity has three components--research, scholarship, and creative endeavor--whose principal foci are oriented toward the academic program of the university and are carried out by individual faculty.

These activities are vital to the university and to its academic program and have an impact on the student as a learner. They are a very real part of the instructional process. In progress through undergraduate studies, the student is constantly moving toward more and more independent learning and learns that research and creative endeavor are necessary elements in the learning process. Students must have models of ongoing scholarly activity in which they can see the possibilities for their own creative talents. Faculty engaged in scholarly activity provide those models. In this sense, scholarly activity is an integral part of teaching. Research, creative endeavor, and scholarship are also intimately involved in the professional development of individual faculty members. Through the process of sharing the outcomes of professional efforts with colleagues both on and off the campus, validation of progress in developing as a scholar in a discipline is received. Reviewing and critiquing the work of others provides opportunities for faculty to test ideas and concepts developed in their own work. Often, sharing scholarly activity with colleagues on the campus functions as a stimulus to fellow faculty. Since professional development is a lifelong task, sustained effort in this area of involvement is needed. A detailed description of the three components of scholarly activity follows:

Research for the purposes of this discussion will be categorized as discipline, applied, and pedagogical. The first orients toward new knowledge, the second toward the utilization of that new knowledge, and the third toward methods of teaching and learning. Discipline research is that activity which is carried out with the deliberate intent of extending the frontiers of knowledge in a particular academic discipline. Little attention is given to the applicability or practical use of possible discoveries. Applied research is activity that is carried out with the deliberate intent of solving a specific problem in an immediate time frame. The focus of the activity is the applicability of the research to a well-defined, real-life need. Pedagogical research is activity which explores the merits of one educational approach to instruction over another approach, under what conditions students learn best, how educational material may be organized to enhance the learning process, investigations of the degree to which curricula meet the requirements they have designed to meet, etc. The sharing of the results of research, as outlined later in this paper, is an integral part of the research process. The responsibility to communicate the results of research to assist colleagues, as well as to validate findings, is the task of the faculty member. The responsibility to support and facilitate research efforts on the part of the faculty is the task of the academic administrator.

Scholarship is an activity that refers to updating and extending an area of study within the professional life of the faculty member. University professors must be constantly alert to new and innovative directions in their disciplines if their leadership in the classroom is to be truly effective. It is this kind of activity that frequently spells the difference between professors who are inspiring and creative in the role as teacher and those who only continue to use notes on aging yellow pages. Faculty engaged in scholarship are those who take advantage of the opportunities to remain viable and active in their particular areas of specialty. The development and sharing of ideas; the conception and implementation of new and creative instructional materials; participation in conferences, conventions, workshops, professional meetings; and the publication of articles and monographs in areas other than research are samples of such activities.

Creative endeavor refers to the result of the production of creative work by faculty. Creative endeavor is most easily identified when associated with the performing arts (theatre, music, dance) and the fine arts (two- and three-dimensional art, writing). It is also most appropriate to apply it in the area of applied arts (architecture, graphics and printing, design, decorating). Creative endeavor involves not only the creation of a tangible product, but the subjection of that creative piece to judgment by public and peers through the vehicle of performance, show publication, display, or exhibit. There is some overlap area of scholarship. For example, an article dealing with the impact of carbon steel by its inventor could be classified as creative endeavor.

Senate Approval: Mar. 20, 1991 (R91-3-2)

Source: *THE CORE OF ACADEME: Teaching, Scholarly Activity, and Service, published by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities; James E. Gilbert, President, East Stroudsburg State University, and the staff at Pittsburgh State University (KS) originated this statement (May 30, 1987).

Policy On Scientific Misconduct In Research

In accordance with regulations outlined by the National Science Foundation at 45 CFR 689 and Public Health Service regulations at 42 CFR Park 50, Subpart A, which took effect on June 25, 1995, Western Connecticut State University has adopted a Policy on Scientific Misconduct in Research.* This policy complies with the mandate that requires grant applications and recipients of research, research-training, or research-related grants or cooperative agreements must have established administrative policies for responding to allegations or research misconduct and certifies that the institution will comply with these policies.

A copy of the WCSU Policy on Scientific Misconduct in Research is available from the office of the Director of Grant Programs.

Adopted by University Senate: May 10, 1995 (R-95-5-1)

Policy On Conflict Of Interest Pertaining To Sponsored Projects

In accordance with regulations outlined by the National Science Foundation and Public Health Service Regulations (42 CFR, Part 50), which took effect on June 25, 1995, Western Connecticut State University has adopted a Policy on Conflict of Interest Pertaining to Sponsored Projects.* This policy mandates that an institution which receives or applies for an NSF and/or PHS research, research training, or research-related grant or cooperative arrangement must have an established institutional policy to avoid actual or potential conflicts of interest between faculty members’ outside interests and Federally funded research by those agencies.

A copy of the WCSU Policy on Conflict of Interest Pertaining to Sponsored Projects is available from the office of the Director of Grant Programs.